Coin-controlled cigar-vending machine.



G. L. VAN BUR-EN. OOIN CONTROLLED CIGAR VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1911.

1,024,478, Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1. v

G. L. VAN BUREN. COIN CONTROLLED CIGAR VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1911.

1,024,478. Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

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G. L. VAN BUREN. com CONTROLLED CIGAR VENDING MACHINE.

7 APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPI'R-COH WASHINGTON. B. C-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. VAN BUREN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T0 NATIONAL CIGAR COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORA- 'IION OF DELAWARE.

COIN-CONTROLLED CIGAR-VENDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. VAN BUREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missournhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Cigar-Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to coin controlled cigar vending machines, and my object is to produce a simple and inexpensive machine of this character which will operate efficiently and reliably.

lVith this general object in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a side view of a cigar vending machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3, is an enlarged vertical section on the line III- III of Fig. 4 and also shows in operative relation to the machine a cigar box and attachments constituting a magazine for automatically charging the machine with cigars. Fig. 4, is a detail perspective view of a plate adjustable to accommodate the vending of cigars of different diameters. Fig. 5, is a detail perspective view of one of the extension plates of the magazine.

In carrying out the invention, I employ a casing consisting of parallel sides 1, a hinged back wall 2 capable of being opened to give access to the machine and a front wall 3, the latter being of such proportion as to leave below it an uncovered space 4, which constitutes the discharge opening for the cigars. The upper front corners of the casing are connected by a tube 5, secured in place by screws 6, and curving downward and inward from tube 5 is a plate 7 provided with a bifurcation 8, said plate being preferably formed integral with the front wall 3, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, it being noted that the convex surface of the plate 7 is disposed downwardly and forwardly and said plate 7 at times constitutes the front end of the magazine hereinafter referred to. Extending downwardly and forwardly in the casing and through and forming the bottom of opening 4 is a cigar delivery plate 9 terminating forward of the opening 4 in the upturned end 10 to hold each cigar as it emerges from the machine until it is removed by the purchaser and said delivery plate is preferably provided with depending ears 11, secured as at 12 to the sides of the casing.

13 is a cross bar extending from side to side of the casing and provided with upturned ends 14, secured as at 15 to the sides 1 and said cross bar is provided with one or more slots 16, through which screws, not shown, extend for the purpose of securing the casing to a base or table, not shown, a backward turn or two of such screw or screws being sufficient to permit the casing to be slid rearwardly to effect disengage ment between said screws and the cross bar.

17 is a rubber roll journaled at its ends in the sides 1, at a point some distance rearward'and in a plane above the lower end of the bifurcated plate 7, and rearward of said roll is a rigid cross bar 18 equipped with rearwardly opening spring clamps 19.

20 is an upwardly and forwardly inclined U-shaped support secured to the rear upper corners of the casing and 21 is a tie-bar connecting said support with the cross bar 18. The function of the bars 18 to 21 is hereinafter explained.

22 is a rock shaft ournaled in the sides 1 below delivery plate 9, about equally distant from the lower end of the bifurcated plate 7 and the roll 17, and secured rigidly upon rock shaft 22 is an oscillatory cigar ejector consisting of a pair of vertical side plates 23, arranged to oscillate between the sides 1 and the rear portion of the delivery plate 9 and connected at their front and rear ends by peripherally arranged cross plates 24 and 25 respectively, and to avoid injuring the cigars and for varying the width of the ejecting opening of the ejector I provide a plate 26 arranged substantially radially of the axis of the ejector and forward of the plate 25 thereof and said plate is provided at its outer edge with a plurality of rearwardly projecting spring tongues 28 and 29 to engage the inner and outer faces of plate 25 with suflicient pressure to maintain plate 26 at the desired point of adjustment with respect to the front edge of plate 25, it being understood that this adjustment of plate 26 is effected by sliding it forward or rearward on plate 25. At one side the oscillatory ejector is provided with a prong 30, which substantially parallels and is arranged outward of the corresponding side and frictionally engages the underside of roll 17 and terminates at its front or free end in a reversely or upwardly curved portion 31, so that it may read'ly pass over the lover end of the bifurcated plate when the ejector is at the limit of its forward movement. (See *1 a ll a) is an arched plate secured at its front end to a rock shaft and projecting rearwardly into the ejector and forming the botttun of the magazine, and to adjust said bottom 32 upwardly and downwardly for the purpose of accommodating the diameter of the cigars in the magazine, as hereinafter explained, the rock shaft is equipped externally of the casing with a spring lever 34 provided with an inwardly projecting pin 35, for engagement with one of a series of holes 36 in the adjacent side of the casing.

87 is an inverted arched plate arranged at its rear end between the sides 23 of the ejector and pivoted thereto as at 38 a distance for-.vard of the front edge of plate 25 exceeding the diameter of a cigar of maxi mum size, the space between the rear or pivoted end of the plate 87 and plate 25 constituting the ejecting opening 39, and said plate 3?, when the machine is at rest, forms the front wall of and a false bottom for the magazine hereinafter referred to, and when the machine is in operation a means for disturbing or moving the cigars in the magazine for the purpose of insuring the instant delivery of a cigar therefrom at the proper time, it being noted that when the ejector swings for uirdly the plate 37 moves in the same direction, the bifurcation in plate 7 being suiliciently large to permit plate 37 to extend through it when at its limit of forward movement. Upon the reverse or rearward movement of the ejector, the plate 37 moves rearwardly and upwardly and hence tends to turn or roll and also lift the cigars in the magazine, and in such rearward action the rear end of plate 3? acts to push acigar resting on bottom 32, rearwardly until it clears the rear end of said bottom and drops down upon the delivery plate 9 and rolls forwardly through opening t and is arrested by the upturned end 10 of the delivery plate.

20 indicates a cigar box, from which one end has been removed, resting upon the support 20 and endwise against bar 18, the box being held firmly by the clamps 15) which receive the front edge of the bottom as shown clearly in Fig. 3 and to guard against endwise movement of the cigars, the sides of the box are provided with extension plates 1-1, which rest at their front ends against plate '7, one of said plates 41 being arranged inward of the vertical plane of spring 30 so that the latter shall not interfere with or come in contact with the cigars which, when the parts are in operative position stand in the magazine constituted by the box, the extensions etl, plate 37 and the bottom 32, it being noted that the cigars will automatically move forward from the box so that it shall be unnecessary to touch the cigars after the machine is properly charged.

F or operating the machine I employ a suitable clockwork mechanism, not shown, confined within a case secured within the casing, said mechanism being adapted to impart rotation to the disk 43 pivotally connected by a link at to rock arm 15, rigidly secured by a screw 16 to the shaft 22, and said disk is provided with a peripheral tooth 4-7.

18 is a lever provided with a shoulder 49, and held by a retractile spring 50 in such position that shoulder 19 is normally in the path of tooth 417 to prevent ope ation of the clockwork. To trip said lever a coin chute 51 is arranged so that a coin dropping through it shall strike and depress the frontend of the lever and be instantly deflected forwardly from said. tube into a receptacle 52 so that the spring instantly reelevates lever 48 and thus prevents the disk making more than one revolution. Provision is made, however, for causing the clockwork on each fifth revolution of the disk to depress an arm 53 just before the end of the fifth revolution so that the disk may make an additional revolution, that is to say, make six revolutions and vend six cigars for each five nickels dropped into the machine.

A slide plate 54 is arranged in the coin receptacle 52 upon which the coin is supported in said receptacle and said slide plate is connected pivotally by a link 55 to a lever 56 pivoted to the casing and said lever once in each revolution of disk 4:3 is raised by a pin 57 projecting inwardly from said disk, the raising of the lever elevating the coin to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, between a pair of springs 58 so that one inspecting the machine may see whether a good or a spurious coin was employed in the purchase of the last cigar delivered. The following coin employed to operate the ma chine is likewise raised by plate 5 1 and in such movement forces the coin previously used from between the springs 58 and assumes the position between said springs of said ejected coin.

The chute is provided with means, common in this class of devices for preventing the insertion of lead or soft metal coins and for effecting the expulsion from the chute of steel or iron disks or other disks which are subject to magnetic attraction, the means shown for preventing the introduction of soft metal coins in a pair of spring dogs 59, and the means for effecting the expulsion of magnetically influenced coins is a horseshoe magnet 60, the chute having an opening 61 just below the magnet through which the ejection of such coins is effected to prevent the operation of the clockwork mechanism.

Assuming that the lever 48 has been tripped by a coin or otherwise, the operation is as follows :The disk 43 turns in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig.1 and thereby swings the ejector forward and agitates the cigars resting on plate 37 so as to cause them to assume parallel relations if not exactly parallel as they pass from the box. When the ejector moves sufficiently forward to dispose its opening 39 over the adjustable bottom 32, the cigar adjacent to roll 17 resting on the plate 37 will drop down into said opening upon the said bottom 32 and will be rolled or pushed forward upon said bottom by plate 26 until the forward movement of the ejector is ended, as will be understood by reference to the dotted lines Fig. 3. In the event that the cigar adjacent to roll 17 fails to drop through the opening 39 from any cause, the cigar next to it and also resting on bottom 37 will drop into said opening and upon said bottom, the ejector having a sufficient range of movement to give ample opportunity for one or the other of said cigars to drop into said opening. As a half revolution of disk 43 is completed, the movement of the ejector is reversed and the pivoted end of plate39 pushes the cigar upon the bottom 32 rearwardly until it clears the rear end of said bottom and drops down upon the plate 9 and rolls forward until arrested by the upturned end 10 of said plate and at the same moment the disk 43 completes its revolution and is arrested by the engagement of its shoulder 47 with the shoulder 49 of lever 48. In the forward movement of the ejector, the spring 30 by frictional contact with roll 17 turnsthe latter upwardly and rearwardly and thus tends to relieve the first-named cigar of the pressure of the cigar which may at such time be engaged with it and also resting on the roller so that the first-named cigar is free to drop down into the opening 39 at the proper time, and on the return movement of the ejector the spring 80 reverses the movement of the roll so that the latter shall tend to advance any cigar which may be resting upon it for the purpose of disturbing the cigars at the front end of the box and thus assisting in their gravitative feed from the box. Vith each operation of the disk the actions described are repeated.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a c0in-controlled cigar vending machine possessing the features of advantage enumerated as de- 5 sirable and I wish it to be understood that while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the invention I do not desire to be restricted to the exact details of construction shown and described as obvious modifications will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art.

I claim 1. A vending machine, comprising a oasing having a discharge opening and a delivery plate extending downwardly and forwardly through said opening, an oscillatory ejector arranged to oscillate longitudinally of the machine above the delivery plate and provided with a peripheral ejector opening over said delivery plate, an inverted arched plate pivoted at its-rear end to the oscillatory eject-or and at its pivoted end forming the front side of the ejector opening, and bearing forward of said pivoted end upon the upper front portion of the casing, and a bottom arranged within the casing and extending into said ejector and terminating at its rear end below the pivoted end of the inverted arched plate when the eject-or is at its rearward limit of movement.

2. A. vending machine, comprising a casing having a discharge opening and a delivery plate extending downwardly and forwardly through said opening, an oscillatory ejector arranged to oscillate longitudinally of the machine above the delivery plate and provided with a peripheral ejector opening over said delivery plate and an inverted arched plate pivoted at its rear end to the oscillatory ejector and at its pivoted end forming the front side of the ejector opening and bearing forward of said pivoted end upon the upper front portion of the casing, and a vertically adjust-able arched bottom arranged Within the casing and extending into said ejector and terminating at its rear end below the pivoted end of the inverted arched plate when the ejector is at its rearward limit of movement.

3. A vending machine comprising a casing having a discharge opening and a delivery plate extending downwardly and forwardly through said opening, an oscillatory ejector arranged to oscillate longitudinally of the machine above the delivery plate and provided with a peripheral ejector opening over said delivery plate an inverted arched plate pivoted at its rear end to the oscillatory ejector and at its pivoted end forming the front side of the ejector opening and bearing forward of the said pivoted end upon the upper front portion of the casing, a vertically adjustable arched bottom arranged within the casing and extending into said ejector and terminating at its rear end below the pivoted end of the inverted arched plate when the ejector is at its rearward limit of movement, a lever connected to the front end of the arched bottom for swinging the same upward or downward, and means for securing the lever at the desired point of adjustment.

e. A vending machine, comprising a casing having a discharge opening at its front end, a delivery plate extending downwardly and forwardly through said discharge opening, an oscillatory ejector attached for swinging forwardly and rearwardly over the delivery plate and provided with an ejector opening, an inverted arched plate pivoted at its rear end to the ejector ant. resting near its free end upon the upper front portion of the casing and forming at its pivoted end the front side of said ejector opening, a plate secured to the ejector and adjustable toward and from the pivoted end of the said inverted arch plate to vary the width of the ejector opening, and a vertically adj ustable bottom projecting into the ejector and terminating at its rear end be low the pivoted end of the said inverted arched plate when the ejector is at the rearward limit of its movement.

5. A vending machine, comprising a casing having a discharge opening and a delivery plate extending downwardly and for wardly through said opening, an oscillatory ejector arranged to oscillate longitudinally of the machine above the delivery plate and provided with a peripheral ejector opening over said delivery plate, an inverted arched plate pivoted at its rear end to the oscillatory ejector and at its pivoted end forming the front side of the ejector opening, and bearing forward of said pivoted end upon the front portion of the casing, a bottom arranged within the casing and extending into said ejector and terminating at its rear end below the pivoted end of the inverted arched plate when the ejector is at its rearward limit of movement, and a magazine extending downwardly and forwardly in the upper part of the casing, the bottom of the magazine terminating vertically above the ejector opening when the ejector is at the rearward limit of its movement so that the undermost cigars forward of such end shall at such time rest upon the inverted arched plate.

6. A vending machine, comprising a cas ing having a discharge opening and a delivery plate extending downwardly and forwardly through said opening, an oscillatory ejector arranged to oscillate longitudinally of the machine above the delivery plate and provided with a peripheral ejector opening over said delivery plate, an inverted arched plate pivoted at its rear end to the oscillatory ejector and at its pivoted end forming the front side of the ejector opening and bearing forward of said pivoted end upon the upper front portion of the casing, a bottom arranged within the casingand extending into said ejector and terminating at its rear end below the pivoted end of the inverted arched plate when the ejector is at its rearward limit of movement, a magazine ex tending downward and forward in the upper part of the casing, the bottom of the magazine terminating vertically above the ejector opening when the ejector is at the rearward limit of its movement, a roll arranged above the ejector forward of the bottom of the magazine, and a spring secured to one side of the ejector and extending forwardly therefrom outward of the adjacent side wall of the magazine and bearing frictionally against the underside of said roll to turn the same in one direction when the ejector swings upward and in the opposite direction when the ejector swings rearward.

7. A vending machine, comprising av casing having a discharge opening and a deliv ery plate extending downwardly and forwardly through said opening, an oscillatory ejector arranged to oscillate longitudinally of the machine above the delivery plate and provided with. a peripheral ejector opening over said delivery plate, an inverted arched plate pivoted at its rear end to the oscillatory e ector and at its pivoted end forming L the front side of the ejector opening, and bearing forward of said pivoted end upon the upper front portion of the casing, a bottom arranged within the casing and extend ing into the said ejector and terminating at its rear end below the pivoted end of the inverted arched plate when the ejector is at its rearward limit of movement, a roll extending transversely of and journaled at its ends in the casing and arranged vertically over and adjacent to the ejector in substantially the vertical plane of the rear end of the said bottom, a cross bar secured in the magazine at the rear side of said roll, and provided with rear-wardly projecting clamps, a support extending upwardly above the casing and carried thereby, a magazine consisting of a cigar box open at its front end and resting on said supportwith its bottom bearing against said cross bar and fitting in said clamps, and side extensions for said box extending forwardly and terminating at their front ends adjacent to the front upper corners of the casing, and a spring secured to one side of the ejector in a vertical plane outward of the adjacent extensions of the magazine and frictionally engaging the underside of said roll.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

D. C. FINLEY, W. H. H. PIATT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

